Dr. Rocio Rodriguez is a Glenn T. Seaborg Distinguished postdoctoral associate at Idaho National Laboratory’s Pyrochemistry and Molten Salt Systems Department. 

She has expertise in the synthesis of nanomaterials and engineered colloidal dispersions of nanoparticles. Strong background in thermal analysis (calorimetry, thermogravimetry, thermal conductivity measurements, etc.) as well as in morphological, rheological, stability, acoustic and vibrational characterization of materials. She has hands-on experience in the design and characterization of multi-component salts for high-temperature applications (concentrated solar technology and molten salt reactors) to be applied as heat transfer fluids and thermal energy storage materials. 

At INL, Dr. Rodriguez investigates the thermophysical properties of molten salts via thermal analysis, i.e., differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry and three-omega technique. The thermophysical properties include phase transition, enthalpy, specific heat capacity, vapor pressure, and thermal conductivity. She also performs thermodynamic studies concerning multicomponent phase diagrams to support advanced separation and material recovery.